Re: Python 3.13 fails to build under macOS, expat issue

[Greg Troxel <gdt%lexort.com@localhost>]

Thomas Klausner <wiz%netbsd.org@localhost> writes:

> On Fri, Aug 14, 2026 at 09:30:31AM +0100, Benny Siegert wrote:
>> Ah right, I remember NetBSD having the same issue. But does that also mean
>> that Python, as it is, does not build on NetBSD < 11.99.5? That's also not
>> great.
>
> lang/python314/Makefile:
> .if ${OPSYS} == NetBSD && ${OPSYS_VERSION} < 119905
> PREFER.expat=   pkgsrc # needs expat_config.h
> .endif

I don't think this is reasonable; PREFER is supposed to be a
user-settable variable.

Looking into what's going on, I'm finding this confusing.
expat_config.h is an internal build file.  It seems buggy to install it,
and buggy for anything else to use it.

And, NetBSD 10 does install it.  A NetBSD 9 system doesn't have it.  I
don't understand why this is about 11.99.5.  (I will admit that I keep
my machines up-to-date with release branches.)


I continue to believe that pkgsrc should handle this by having python
set a variable that says it needs expat_config.h, and builtin.mk then
rejecting the builtin if /usr/include/expat_config.h is not present
(done portably, but this sort of check is normal).